


The Eighth Time

by canadiankazz



Series: Times Jasper Fed from Annabelle [8]
Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood Bond, Blood Drinking, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt/Comfort, Vampires, blush of life, fury frenzy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-10-30 22:35:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17837282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canadiankazz/pseuds/canadiankazz
Summary: The Blood Bond comes in useful when Jasper feels Annabelle have her first Fury Frenzy and has to rush to her aid.This is my L.A. By Night Alternative Universe where Jasper has been feeding from Annabelle for several weeks/months and they have developed a Blood Bond. SPOILERS for the end of Campaign 1 including the one-shots. This was written before Season 2, Episode 5. It’s obviously worth reading the rest of the "Feeds From" series before this part.Also, unlike the previous entries in this series, this part is two chapters long!





	1. Frenzy

**Author's Note:**

> I lay no claim to owning any of the characters involved.
> 
> This fic came about due to conversation with my friend M about what might happen if Annabelle ever frenzied. Once I started writing it, I soon realised that it was getting a little on the long side, but Jasper hadn't actually fed from her yet. One of the rules I have for the "Feeds From" series is that he has to actually, ya know, feed from her at least once in each part. So I spoke to my friend L about it and decided to make it into two chapters. The reward for that is a very special feeding scene that I had been planning for a long time.
> 
> Special love to my coterie of the S.S. Jaspabelle - L and M.
> 
> Special thanks to the L.A. by Night vamily and to everyone who has read this fic series and enjoyed it.
> 
> Also posted to the author's tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter is more in Jasper's perspective.)

One of the things that made Jasper the happiest was solving puzzles and mysteries. It called to his Nosferatu nature and also to his sense of self. Attempting to solve the unsolvable had been a hobby of his in life, and now he channelled that energy into his labyrinth under Griffith Park. Jasper was down there, making notes in his journal and consulting his book when something made him pause. At first, he couldn’t put a finger on what it was. An odd shiver went through him. He looked up suddenly, as if hearing someone shouting his name from far away. Was it one of the labyrinth’s tricks? No. He felt a pull at his heart, at his blood.

Annabelle. She was in trouble. The Blood Bond. She was calling him. Jasper felt a sense of pain and blinding red rage that was not his own.

_Oh, no..._

Jasper threw his journal and book into a bag and stashed it in a corner he knew he would remember later. He took off down the passage closest to the direction that the Blood Bond was pulling him, sprinting as fast as he could. He didn't bother with stealth at the moment. Speed was of the essence.

Something terrible had happened. Annabelle was in pain. She was angry. She was _furious_. It felt like someone had poured ice water down his throat when Jasper realised what must be happening. She was in a Frenzy. He didn't know how or why, but he knew in his blood that's what was happening, right at this same moment. If she killed someone by accident in that Frenzy, Jasper knew she would never forgive herself.

He urged himself ever faster and soon found his way into the sewers. Like any urban Nos, he knew the sewers well. He had to make a few switchbacks and turns to get to where his blood was telling him to go. He didn't hesitate when he reached the ladder he knew would take him up to the street where Annabelle's blood was calling him from, but he did force himself to pause just before popping open the manhole cover. He cloaked himself with Obfuscate and peeked up into the outside world.

Jasper could hear a commotion. Shouts. Panicked male screaming. Rapid gunshots. They were coming from an alley very close by. He snarled a silent curse to himself and climbed up onto the street. He headed towards the noises. He quietly looked looked around the corner and snarled again at what he saw.

Annabelle was on top of a man who was pinned to the filthy ground underneath her. Her fangs were in his throat and blood was everywhere. There was a pistol in his limp hand. Another man was nearby, screaming and firing another pistol at Annabelle. Bullet after bullet hit her until the gun clicked empty.

Jasper leapt into action. He sprang forwards and grabbed the shooter by the head and brought it down hard against the side of a dumpster. There was a loud, sickening crunch and the man crumpled like a broken doll. Jasper turned swiftly to Annabelle and grabbed her by the back collar of her jacket, ripping her off the other man and onto her feet. She snarled at him like a feral monster for a second. There was blood all over her mouth and chin. Then she blinked, confused, like she was waking up from a horrible dream.

“Jasper? What...? _Ow_... what?” She saw the two men on the ground and her hand went to her mouth in shock. “ _Oh my God_!”

Jasper checked on the man she had attacked. He was still alive, but just barely hanging on. Jasper very quickly closed his terrible neck wound so that he would not bleed out, trying not to taste his blood as he did so.

Behind him, Annabelle was starting to hyperventilate in a panic. Jasper turned back to her and looked her in the eyes. “Annabelle, listen to me. You're going to be okay, but you have to come with me now.” He took her arm and pulled her gently with him back towards the manhole he had come from.

Annabelle whimpered. She seemed frozen in place. Jasper glanced nervously down the street, expecting to hear sirens, but none were coming yet.

“Annabelle, _come on_ ,” he urged again, pulling her a little harder. He thought he might have to pick her up, but she snapped out of her shock long enough to move forwards. He ushered her as quickly as he could back down into the sewer under the street. Jasper's hands came away red after touching her. The smell of her Vitae was powerful and it made his Beast claw painfully at his gut.

_N o t. N o w._

Annabelle was whimpering, still in a mild panic. “I... Jasper... did I...?”

“I don't think you killed anyone,” he assured her. He had arrived just in time to prevent that. He knew that he might have killed again in trying to save her, but he could justify it. The bastard had emptied an entire clip into Annabelle. Granted, it appeared to be in defence of his buddy, but still...

Annabelle was shaking. She stumbled and almost fell over. Jasper caught her. He put an arm around her to hold her up.

“Let's go. Come on. You can walk. I'll help you. Come on,” he said gently. She moved with him, letting herself be led by him through the tunnels. He wracked his brain of where to take her. She needed help, desperately. He couldn’t take her back to his sanctum because of his newest prisoner. He couldn’t take her to her house because of her girlfriend's reaction if she saw them. He didn't want to take her to the College. He growled to himself. The best he could come up with was Club Maharajah – Victor's establishment. It was going to be a long walk from where they were currently, but it was probably their safest bet. Besides, he knew Victor would not object to helping her. “I'm going to take you somewhere safe. You'll be alright.”

Jasper led Annabelle through the tunnels. They walked slowly. She limped heavily from her bullet wounds. She clung to him, sniffling. “Jasper... I don't know what happened...” she said, her voice breaking.

“You were in a Frenzy,” he said. “You lost control.”

Annabelle broke down and sobbed. Jasper had to pause. Losing control like that was one of the things she feared about herself. She dreaded becoming a monster like other, older Kindred. “Annabelle, it's okay. It... happens to everyone. All Kindred, at some time or another. And you _didn't_ kill that guy. Come on. We have to keep going.” He gently urged her along again. She stumbled on a loose brick and he caught her.

“ _Ow_... it hurts...” she whimpered.

“I know, I know,” Jasper sympathised. He did know. He had been shot many times before. It wasn't as lethal to Kindred, but it didn't tickle either. “You got shot a lot back there. Come on.” Jasper scooped up Annabelle into his arms. She was smaller than him, and fairly easy to carry even without his vampiric strength. He thought they could make slightly better progress towards the club this way.

Annabelle did not protest to being lifted and carried. She held onto him, wincing. She was bleeding all over him and tried to heal herself a little, but she could only get so far before her Beast growled a warning. “Where are we going?”

“Victor's club. He can help.”

“Oh.” There was a pause, then she asked, “Jasper?”

“Yes?”

“How did you know where I was?”

“Blood Bond,” he answered.

“Oh.”

“But we are not telling Victor about that,” Jasper reminded her.

“No,” she agreed. She sounded scared and tired. He knew she was still slightly in shock. “Sorry... I didn't mean to call you...”

“It's okay, Annabelle. I'm glad you did, this time. Don't worry about it. It's as if you called me on your phone, right?”

“Yeah… Okay...”

As swiftly as he could, Jasper navigated them to the underground passage that eventually ended in a secret door to the basement of Club Maharajah. Jasper carefully put Annabelle down so he could open the door. He peered in cautiously. It was dark and quiet. He helped Annabelle to a small bed that was set up in a little room for Victor's vampire guests to crash in if they needed to. “Stay here. I'm going to go get Victor,” Jasper said.

Annabelle grabbed his arm. “No... don't leave me... please?”

“Okay... I'll call him. I'll stay right here.” Jasper pulled out his phone. He felt stupid calling Victor from his own basement, but he couldn't go against Annabelle's wishes. Not now.

The phone rang twice before Victor picked up. “Jasper?”

“Hi, Victor.”

“Hey, man, what's up?”

Jasper cut right to the chase. He took Annabelle's hand and gave it a little reassuring squeeze. “Annabelle and I are in the basement of your club. She's hurt pretty bad. We need help.”

“I'm upstairs right now. I'll be right down.”

They both hung up. “He's upstairs. He's on his way,” Jasper told Annabelle.

She nodded. “Okay.” She looked miserable, in pain and still covered in blood, both hers and her victim's.

Jasper got up when he heard the elevator door open to the basement. He went out to meet Victor.

“What happened?” Victor asked as he stepped out of the elevator. He looked very concerned.

“She got shot. Repetitively.”

“How? By who?”

Jasper shook his head. “I don't know. Looked like two minor thugs. I think... that she had her first proper Frenzy, Victor. When I found her, she was tearing into one guy while another was emptying his clip into her. I got her out of there. So far as I know... they're both still alive, but they won't be going anywhere any time soon.”

Victor sighed and rubbed his hands together. Jasper could see the exasperation of someone who had to clean up other Kindred's messes, but he knew that Victor liked Annabelle, and didn't want to see her come to harm.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“Through here.” Jasper turned and went back into the little makeshift bedroom. Victor followed.

Victor tried to gave Annabelle a little smile when he saw her, but it soon turned into a grimace. His eyes took in the blood on her face and the messy bullet holes all over her body. “Hey...What happened?”

“Victor, I'm sorry...” Annabelle pleaded. “I lost control, I'm sorry...”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Victor pulled a chair over and sat down near her bed. Jasper loomed in the background. “Tell me what happened. What do you remember?”

“Um... I was hungry, and I was headed to a bar to... you know...” she cleared her throat. Victor nodded, understanding her meaning. “And these two guys just... came out of nowhere. They had guns... one of them grabbed for my phone and when I fought back... they shot me. Then everything went red...” Annabelle rubbed her face and eyes with her hands. “I don't remember what happened after that, until Jasper came and got me out of there.”

Victor exhaled a long sigh. “Where did this happen?”

Annabelle told him the street she was on. Victor nodded, going into damage control mode. “Okay. I'll make some calls to my guy on the police, see what we can do, alright? In the meantime, you are welcome to stay here, get cleaned up... heal.” He looked at her bullet-riddled jacket. It was completely ruined. “Jesus... how many times did they shoot you?”

“I don't know,” Annabelle said numbly.

Jasper spoke up. “At least one full pistol clip, I think.”

“Okay,” Victor sighed again. “I'll get you some clothes. Nelli will kill me if I give you anything from her wardrobe, but I'll find you something for right now. Also... I'll talk to my staff and I'll get a few to come down and... help you.” He could see her open her mouth to protest and stopped her. “They're all used to it. They know how it goes, and they'll give their consent. It'll be fine, Annabelle.”

Annabelle nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

Victor gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I'll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Victor got up and took out his phone. He and Jasper shared a look. They had both been through this kind of thing before, they knew, but that didn't mean it was any less scary if it was your first time. “You'll stay with her?” Victor asked Jasper.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“You're a mess... you get shot too?”

“No. This isn't my blood. It's hers.”

“Jeez... okay. I'll be right back.” Victor left to make his calls.

Jasper went back to Annabelle's side. He felt a degree of relief now. Things were in the progress of being fixed. He didn't like Ventrue as a whole, but their power of influence and money did have its uses. Annabelle looked relieved too, but still in a lot of pain.

“Thank you for getting me out of there,” she said quietly to Jasper.

“Yeah, well...” he shrugged. “It's alright.”

“I don't understand... why did I lose control like that? What even _is_ a Frenzy anyways?”

Jasper licked his lips while he thought of an answer. He was finding the thick scent of her Vitae to be very distracting.

“You know of the Beast, right? That hunger inside?”

Annabelle nodded.

“Every Kindred has that inside of them. It's what makes us inhuman... well, makes most of us inhuman. The Beast is our blood lust, it's our rage and it's our fear if we're exposed to fire or the sun. We call it the Beast because it's literally like an animal, only base instinct. Sometimes, it's easy for us to control those urges, other times... a lot of other times, it's not. A Frenzy is what Kindred call it when the Beast goes out of control, and there are three different kinds.” He counted off on his fingers. “Hunger, anger, and fear. What I think happened to you might have been a rage Frenzy. Do you remember if you were hungrier than usual?”

“A little, bit, yeah...” Annabelle remembered.

“Then it might have been a little bit of a hunger one too. When I had to leave the Highland because I was... about to lose control and you followed me into the sewers? That was almost a hunger Frenzy.” He didn't like admitting to those kind of things, but it was important Annabelle knew. “When I and the rest of the Succubus Club freaked out at fire, that was a fear Frenzy. That's also called Rötschreck.”

Annabelle nodded again slowly. “So... it really was stupid of me to have followed you back then underground.”

Jasper nodded with emphasis. “ _Yes._ It was very brave, and I know you were trying to help me, but it was also very stupid. I was literally an inch away from destroying you.”

Annabelle bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to cry again. Jasper knew that she was holding back. She was trying to be brave. “How come you didn't?” she asked. “How do you... stop it when you're about to lose control?”

“Willpower,” he answered honestly. “You can't hold back the Beast forever, but you can keep it quiet for a little while. Some Kindred don't have a lot of willpower when it comes to controlling their Beast. They're the ones who tend to be... trouble. When the Beast is in control, people die.” He saw the hurt look on her face, and added “... Most of the time.”

Victor came back into the room they were in, his phone still in his hand. “Okay... so... the two men who attacked you, Annabelle, are currently at Cedars-Sinai and both of them are in a coma.”

Annabelle relaxed by several degrees in relief. She hadn't killed anyone. Not yet. Jasper also sighed, almost imperceptibly, feeling an echo of her relief.

Victor continued. “I've got my guy in the police on it and it looks like those two both had rap sheets as long as my arm. Theft, assault, you name it. They shot you, and you acted in self defence.” He shrugged widely and gave Annabelle a smile. “Things are bad, and I'm sure that for you right now, they feel terrible, but it could have been a _hell_ of a lot worse. This is fine. This is manageable.”

“Thank you,” Annabelle said with a little smile.

“Hey, it's no problem. These things happen. That's some shitty luck for you though,” he chuckled a little, trying and failing to get her to smile more. “I'm going to get you something to change into. As I said, you can stay here and feed as much as you need to tonight and tomorrow night too.”

“How can I... repay you?”

Victor scoffed and waved her off. “Don't worry about it. Just don't kill any of my staff when you feed on them okay?”

Jasper glared at Victor, but he ignored it.

Annabelle laughed dryly. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Alright. I'll send someone down in a few minutes and I'll get someone to give you come clothes. I've got to get back to work.” Victor looked satisfied. Job done, he got up and left them alone again.

One of the club's security arrived shortly after with some clothing for Annabelle and a packet of wet wipes for her to clean herself up with. She was given some sweat pants and an oversized black T-shirt with the Temple of Boom logo on it. It was certainly nothing fancy, but it would do until she was able to get something else, and at least they weren't covered in blood. Annabelle wiped the blood off her face with a wipe. Her movements were stiff and awkward with pain. Most of her bullet wounds were in her back, hips and left arm and shoulder, though there were two or three in her chest as well. Jasper helped her out of her ruined red jacket.

“That was my favourite one,” she said sadly.

“We'll get you a new one,” Jasper assured her.

“Can you help me clean the blood off my back, please?” Annabelle asked him. Her voice was strained with pain.

Jasper's Beast growled at him. It could think of far better things it wanted to do with her Vitae, but he fought it down. “Okay.”

Annabelle turned to face the blank wall by the bed. Jasper helped her out of her shirt and she undid her bra. Both were also ruined beyond repair. She held the T-shirt Victor had given her to her chest to try to maintain some dignity. Jasper wondered why he wasn't more uncomfortable with her being topless in front of him, and figured it was very much to do with how intimate they were with each other in private lately. He tried to count her wounds as he wiped blood off her back, doing his best to be gentle. He could tell Annabelle was trying to be brave and not show the pain she must be in.

“Most of the bleeding has stopped,” he told her quietly. “You've healed some of it already, but it's going to take you some time. Bullets aren't normally too big of a deal for us, but they do stack up.” Annabelle hissed as his touch strayed too close to a hole in her shoulder. “Sorry.”

“It's okay,” Annabelle mumbled. Jasper knew the shock of everything was wearing off now, leaving her with the physical pain and exhaustion. He knew the feeling very well.

Jasper disposed of the bloody wet wipes in a bin just as a female security guard came down into the basement. She eyed Jasper with fear and suspicion. He didn't normally hide himself around Victor's staff. They were among the few mortals who got to see his face. “I'm here to see Annabelle?” the guard said.

Jasper pointed towards the room where Annabelle was. “In there.”

The guard nodded and went into the little bedroom, knocking before entering.

Jasper lingered outside. She could her the two of them talking and decided to wait and give Annabelle her privacy. He wasn't worried about her losing control again. He spent the time examining her destroyed red jacket, counting bullet holes in it and comparing them to the ones he had seen on her body. Seventeen was the final number he came to. Annabelle had been shot seventeen times by small round pistol ammunition. He growled to himself, feeling his own anger rise. His Beast rattled in its cage. He was going to have to do something about this, especially after his own little speech to Annabelle about Frenzy. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he had to, at least for a little while. She was safe now, and well looked after.

While he waited, Jasper noticed a rat in a corner. He stared at it. The rat seemed to notice that it had been spotted and started to wash its whiskers. Jasper swore it was as if the rat was trying to 'act casual.' He growled softly again to himself. All the more reason why he had to get away from here, at least for now. He had nothing against Ramona, not really, but he had a feeling that if anyone was going to find out his and Annabelle's secret, it was her.

A few minutes later, the female security guard left the basement. She was walking a little unsteadily and rubbing her neck. Jasper watched her go and went back in to see Annabelle. She was wearing the big T-shirt, which was like a dress on her. She looked a little better, slightly more relaxed and comfortable and less in pain. Annabelle smiled at him and in that moment, Jasper almost changed his mind about having to leave.

“Feel better?” he asked her.

She nodded. “Yeah. My hip is killing me though. And my back. I hope I don't have any bullets lodged in me still.”

“You probably do.”

Annabelle made a face of pain and disgust. “Ugh.”

“I'm going to go, but I promise I'll be back tomorrow night.”

Annabelle frowned. “Do you have to go?”

He gestured to his hoodie. The Vitae stains were hard to see, but he could still smell them. “I need to change, and I was in the middle of something when I ran off to help you, so I should get back and fix that.”

“Oh... I'm sorry.”

Jasper shook his head. “Don't be sorry. Rest well. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay... see you.”

She wanted to hug him, to be held by him. He could feel it. He had to resist. He forced himself to keep walking down into the tunnels and all the way back to his labyrinth. He retrieved his bag with his book and journal and headed back to his sanctum.

* * *

 Chaz Price, Jasper's latest captive from the Ivory Tower glared darkly at Jasper when he came into his cage room. “You're covered in Vitae,” Chaz sneered. “I hope it's yours. I hope you fall into an industrial fan.”

“Shut up,” Jasper growled. His Beast was getting towards the end of its rope, and he didn't want to put up with any bullshit. He reached in through the bars, and though the Toreador tried to dodge him, there was only so far he could go. Jasper grabbed an arm and pulled Chaz closer, bracing him painfully against the iron bars of the cage. The prisoner tried to fight, but gave up quickly when, without ceremony, Jasper sunk his fangs into the Chaz's wrist and drank deeply.

When he finished, Jasper left his captive muttering curses on the floor of his cage. He grabbed a clean hoodie from his hidden closet and retired to his bedroom. Jasper never would have thought of his bedroom as 'lonely' before, but he sure felt it now. Tomorrow night could not come quickly enough.

* * *

 Jasper dreamed of the labyrinth. He was stalking through it. Every time he thought he knew which direction he was going in, he would get turned around. He was worried about something, but couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Was it Annabelle? Was she lost in the labyrinth? If she was, try as he might, he couldn’t find her. It made him terribly anxious.

* * *

When he awoke the next night, Jasper didn't waste any time. It didn't take him long to get ready. It never did. He texted Annabelle as he headed out into the cold tunnels under Los Angeles.

“On my way,” he messaged. “Sleep well?”

“Slept okay. Looking forward to seeing you.” she replied.

Jasper didn't like how worried he had been about Annabelle, or how worried he still was. She was out of any danger. She still had a lot of healing to do, but that would happen in time. Was it the Blood Bond he didn't like? He had known what he was getting himself into with that, and had done so willingly. It had its drawbacks yes, but it had the extra benefit of the fact that while he was bonded to her, it was almost impossible for him to be bonded to any other Kindred. Jasper hated the idea of anyone holding his leash but himself, but that was the risk he ran with his chosen preferred style of feeding. If he _did_ have to give someone any degree of control over him, there were far worse Kindred out there than Annabelle.

Truth was though, he _liked_ Annabelle. He liked her a _lot_ , and had done so for a long time now. She was brave, and the most selfless Kindred he had ever met. He hoped that she would never lose that spark of kindness inside her, but feared that over time, Kindred life would eventually wear her down and make her jaded.

Jasper re-entered Club Maharajah via the secret basement tunnel once again and went directly towards the little vampire guest bedroom where he knew she was. He could hear faint music that she was listening to before he saw her. Something acoustic he didn't imminently recognise, but he caught some of the lyrics.

 “ _My past has tasted bitter_  
_For years now_  
_So I wield an iron fist_  
_Grace is just weakness_  
_Or so I've been told_  
_I've been cold, I've been merciless_  
_But the blood on my hands scares me to death_  
_Maybe I'm waking up today  
__I'll be good, I'll be good”_

“Annabelle?” He said softly, tapping on the door.

“Hey,” Annabelle smiled warmly to see him. She paused her music, which was playing on her phone. She was sitting up on the bed, still in the enormous 'Temple of Boom' shirt.

Jasper approached and sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing?”

“Better, I think. I've been trying to heal, but everything still hurts.”

“Mmm.” Jasper nodded in sympathy. “Do you think you can go home tonight?”

“Yeah. I want to. It was nice of Victor to help me, but...” Annabelle sighed.

“No, I get it. You miss your own bed.”

Annabelle smiled. “It's bigger than this one.”

“It can fit two, sometimes three people in it.” Jasper grinned.

Annabelle giggled. She definitely seemed more like her old self.

Annabelle fed again from another one of Victor's staff and spoke to Victor himself later that night, thanking him again for his hospitality and for everything else. Victor told her he was just glad she was feeling better. He got one of his drivers to take her home. To maintain the secrecy, Jasper went separately and met up with her there later. Neither Elle nor Mark were home, so it was safe for her to let Jasper inside.

Annabelle's front door was barely shut when she wrapped her arms around Jasper's lean frame and hugged him as tight as her still-healing wounds would allow. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, relaxing a little into the hug. This had been a while coming.

“Thank you,” Annabelle said, her voice muffled by his hoodie. “I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come and gotten me out of that alley.”

He could feel her suppress a shiver. “It's alright.”

Annabelle sniffled a little. “Blood Bonds aren't all bad after all.”

Jasper chuckled and gave a tiny shrug. “I guess not.”

Annabelle shifted her weight awkwardly from one foot to another. The wound in her hip bone made it painful to stand for too long. “I can't wait to heal this,” she muttered, pulling back from Jasper a little.

Jasper nodded in sympathy.

“Can you stay the night... er, day? Sleep over, I mean?” Annabelle asked.

He considered it for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yes, I think so... I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Elleanore is out of town again?”

“She won't be in tonight. We're catching up tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Annabelle smiled and limped down the hall towards her bedroom. “Ugh, I want to get out of this shirt,” she said. Jasper followed a few steps behind, but hesitated in the hall when he saw her awkwardly take the shirt off. “I'm still pissed about my jacket, by the way,” she added. She dug out a different article of clothing and pulled it on. It was also black and over-large on her, but Jasper recognised it as the old hoodie of his he had given to her. He smiled and entered her bedroom.

Annabelle ran a brush through her hair and sat on the bed, mindful of her wounds. Jasper sat next to her.

“I'm sure you'll find another one,” he said.

“I hope so. I've had that jacket for ages,” Annabelle sighed. She glanced at Jasper, considering him for a moment. He arched an eyebrow at her.

“What?” he asked.

“Did you want to...?”

“No.” He frowned. He knew exactly where she was going with this. “You're still injured. You need your blood to heal. I'm fine.”

“But I want to thank you.”

“You _have_ thanked me.”

“But... I want to.”

Jasper sighed heavily and snarled.

“Okay... okay. We won't tonight. It's fine.” Annabelle backed off.

“Just until you're healed,” he promised. “You need it more than I do right now.”

“You're right.”

Jasper relaxed. He gave her a little smile. “That hoodie looks good on you.”

“Yeah?”

His smile widened. He let himself fall back onto her bed with a little groan. Annabelle was home. She was safe. He finally felt like he could relax. “It's been a stressful few nights.”

Annabelle poked his side sharply. “Oh, I'm sorry, Jasper! Has it been stressful for you?”

He chuckled and gently pulled Annabelle down into a cuddle. She winced a little, but did not protest. He hugged her carefully, protectively. He wanted to tell her not to scare him like that again, but he knew she wouldn’t be able to keep that promise, so he kept quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used in this chapter is 'I'll Be Good' by Jaymes Young. Erika Ishii put it on Annabelle's play list, and I thought it worked well for her mental state in the scene that I used it in.


	2. Femoral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter is more in Annabelle's perspective.)

“I have some more questions about Blood Bonds,” Annabelle said.

Jasper was holding her, snug on Annabelle's bed. They hadn't moved since they had arrived back here from Club Maharajah. Annabelle's wounds were all but gone on the outside, but she could feel there was internal damage still to fix.

“Alright,” he said.

Annabelle wished she had written them down, but she had thought of these questions in the shower some time ago and had forgotten. “Um... Is there a name for our relationship?”

She looked at him and he was frowning, confused.

“Like... is there a name for who you are to me? And me to you? With the Blood Bond?” she clarified.

“Oh. Yeah. If you want to be technical about it,” Jasper said. “To you... I'm your thrall.”

Annabelle frowned at that. “You're my  _ thrall _ ? What kind of medieval bullshit is that?”

Jasper snickered. “Probably because the word was used by medieval Kindred. And also, you're my regnant.”

“Ugh!” Annabelle groaned in disgust. “No. We are  _ not _ calling each other that.”

Jasper grinned and rested his head against hers. He loved this about her, her sense of right and wrong.

“Do you... think of me as like...” Annabelle hesitated, not sure how to ask her next question. “A lover? Or...?”

Jasper was quiet. She wished she knew what he was thinking. “Not really?” she asked.

“In a way... sure,” he admitted reluctantly. “If you want to think of it that way.”

“I think I kind of do,” Annabelle said. “I didn't think I did, but saying it out loud... yeah. Kind of. I mean... the way you make me feel when you bite me... it's very much like...”

“Sex?”

Annabelle didn't have Blush of Life on at the moment, but she would have been beet red if she did. “Yeah.”

Jasper grinned smugly. “I know.”

“I know you know. You know all my... feelings. Could I... is there a way I could... feel yours?”

“Not without tasting my blood.”

“Can I?” Much like when she had first offered herself to be fed upon, the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"I... don't recommend it.”

Annabelle blinked. “Why not?”

Jasper ran his tongue over his fangs, as if in memory of every bite. “Vitae is... addictive.”

“Oh. But... you...?”

“Yeah. I'm addicted.”

Annabelle shifted, a feeling of unhappiness and guilt creeping in. “I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault. This was from long before I met you.” He stroked her arm gently.

“But it's not like I've been helping...”

“Annabelle,” Jasper sighed. “I've made my reasons for feeding on other Kindred perfectly clear.”

Annabelle nodded. “Okay... I still wish I could tell what you were thinking sometimes though. You're so mysterious.”

“Am I? Do I still have any secrets left?” he asked, sarcastic.

“You  _ so _ do! I don't know anything about your life or... what you did before we met or anything!”

“I like my privacy,” Jasper shrugged a little. “I did a lot of bad things... still do... and I don't want you to know about most of them.”

Annabelle's fingers trailed along Jasper's chest. It was still as death, except for when he inhaled to speak. She knew when he growled, it vibrated. “You go on about all those 'bad things,' you did... I want to respect your privacy,” she said quietly, “but at the same time... I want to know more. I mean... I'm sharing my blood with you, for crying out loud!”

“True,” Jasper acknowledged. He was quiet for a long moment. “How about... I tell you one thing about me. Just one thing. For now.”

Annabelle's eyes went very wide. She knew that opportunities like this don't happen very often. “Oh. Um... what's your last name? Tell me that.”

“Heartwood,” he said reluctantly.

Annabelle snickered. “Jasper Heartwood?”

Jasper sighed a long-suffering sigh. “Yes.”

Annabelle giggled. She couldn’t help it.

Jasper groaned and rolled over, away from Annabelle. His back was a black wall facing her.

“Aw...” She leaned over with a wince and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I like it though.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly.

She put an arm around him. “No, I do! Really...”

“Don't tell anyone.”

“I won't. I promise.”

Annabelle's phone rang. She gingerly rolled back over and retrieved it. It was Nelli calling her. She answered it. “Hello?”

“Annabelle, darling, how are you?”

“Hi, Nelli. I'm... I'm doing okay.”

Jasper rolled back over on the bed and stared at Annabelle. She could feel his icy eyes on her. It reminded her strongly of the other times he had stared at her while she was on the phone with her partners, back when she had first met him, as if daring her to say the wrong thing.

“Yeah? Because Victor told me about your little... episode.”

“Yeah,” Annabelle sighed. She winced at the pain in her hip as she shifted. “I don't remember a lot of it, but apparently, I didn't kill anyone, so... that's good, I guess?”

“Yes, that is good,” Nelli assured her. “It's never pretty when these things happen.”

Annabelle noticed that Nelli said 'when,' not 'if.' That did not bode well. “Yeah.”

“But you're doing well now, dear?”

“Yeah. I might still have a bullet or two inside me still, but I'll be alright.”

She heard Nelli wince in sympathy. “You poor thing.”

Annabelle felt like she was being pitied and she didn't entirely like it. “I'll live.”

Nelli laughed lightly. “Well, of course, you will! You're probably the strongest of all of us!”

Silently, Jasper put a hand very lightly on Annabelle's back, feeling the woollen fuzz of his old hoodie that she was wrapped up in. Annabelle found herself leaning back slightly into his touch.

“Thanks. Listen, Nelli, I should go, but thanks for calling and checking up on me.”

“Well, I was worried about you, Annabelle.”

Jasper was close enough to hear Nelli say that over the phone and Annabelle heard his faint snarl as he grinned.

“That's sweet of you, Nelli.”

“I'll see about replacing your leather jacket if you'd like.”

Annabelle lit up. “Yeah? Just like the old one?”

“Well, maybe something a little more stylish?”

“... I guess, but I'd really like it if you could find, or I don't know, make one that was almost the same as the old one? Please?”

There was a pause. Nelli really would have preferred something more fancy, but she knew that wasn't Annabelle's style. “Alright, I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Nelli. I really appreciate it,” Annabelle said genuinely.

“Not at all, dear. I'll let you go, now. Have a good night.”

“Good night!”

Nelli and Annabelle hung up. Annabelle put her phone down and leaned back into Jasper.

“Did you hear that?” She asked him.

“Most of it,” he said. “You're going to get a new jacket. That's good.”

“Yeah.” Annabelle snuggled back down against Jasper again, cosy in the hoodie. “I could feel you staring at me. Were you worried I was going to tell her?”

“Well... you do have a habit of letting things slip sometimes.”

“Well, I haven't told anyone about us,” Annabelle insisted. “I wish I could though.”

Jasper growled quietly to himself.

“Jasper, why?  _ Why _ can't we tell Nelli or Victor?” Annabelle asked.

“Because what we've been doing, with me feeding on you, is taboo,” he reminded her.

“A lot of things I do, and have done, are considered taboo.”

“Yes, but... this isn't taboo like having a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time might be taboo. This is taboo in that... if some Kindred found out about it, they would want to kill us.”

Annabelle frowned, not fully understanding. “But... Victor and Nelli wouldn't.”

“No, they probably wouldn’t, but I can almost guarantee they wouldn’t approve either. You saw how they reacted when they found out about Tara.”

“But that was because you were keeping her in a cage, Jasper.”

“I've already said my piece on that,” Jasper grumbled.

Annabelle could feel him closing off again. He always got like this when prickly things from his past got brought up. She found it very frustrating. “Jasper... I know,” she said softly. “I know, but... I hate that we have to keep this secret. I honestly don't think they would mind, and then we wouldn’t have to hide any more.”

“I think you underestimate how protective they are of you,” Jasper said. “They would be very angry with me.”

Annabelle sighed. “But you haven't hurt me! I've always giving you permission to bite me.”

“I know that, but...” he sighed too. “ _ They _ don't. They might struggle to understand. Nelli came from the Ivory Tower, and, from what I've been given to understand, Blood Bonds are a common way of controlling people there.”

Annabelle went quiet, thinking in horror of what Jasper was saying. “So... you think that Nelli might have been in a Bond before?”

“It's possible.”

“With Chaz?”

Jasper smirked to himself and shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Ugh... God... yeah, okay. We'll keep it secret,” Annabelle said reluctantly.

Jasper nodded. “I know you don't like it... but it's for the best, for right now.”

“Okay, okay.”

They settled in to spend the rest of the night with snuggles and television. Jasper slept over that day, but had to slip out and head back home when the sun next set. He left Annabelle in the tender loving care of her boyfriend and girlfriend. 

Mark and Elleanore were both worried about Annabelle. She was still moving stiffly and had lost her signature jacket, after all, but she managed to assure them that everything was alright. In time, she healed fully, though her hip continued to bother her for a few days and nights afterwards. Nelli sent her a new leather jacket that was very much like her old one and Annabelle did a happy dance when she put it on for the first time.

Things were good for a week or so, save for two things; firstly, Annabelle found herself having more nightmares. Specifically, her dreams kept returning to that alley, the pain of bullets hitting her body and the red rage that followed. More than once, Annabelle woke up growling to herself, her Beast excited in her chest. She hated herself for it, and became a little worried for Elle's safety. When Elle was asked to house and dog-sit for her co-worker over a weekend, Annabelle encouraged her to do it.

The second thing that was upsetting was that Annabelle neither saw, nor heard from Jasper at all in that time. She assumed he was off doing his own thing, as he liked to do, but she soon found herself missing him. If nothing else, she could talk to him about what she was feeling, and he might helper her to understand it.

The night before Elle left to go house-sit, Annabelle sent Jasper a private text message.

“Hey. I miss you. How are you?”

Annabelle waited for his return text. She knew that sometimes she had to wait a long time. She listened to her playlists as she did. She was working on putting one together for him, but wasn't sure yet how she was going to hide it from Elle and Mark. They didn't know about her relationship with Jasper. Annabelle wished she could tell them, but Jasper had asked her not to.

At long last, her phone vibrated with Jasper's reply. “I'm good. Miss you too. All healed?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I'm all good now.”

“Good.”

“Gonna be home alone again this weekend...” she sent.

“Are you asking me to come over?”

Annabelle chuckled. She could picture him grinning.

“Yes, please.”

His reply was almost immediate. “What time?”

Her chuckle turned into a little giggle. He could be a lot more adorable than he liked to admit. She got to see more and more of that in their moments together. He also seemed eager to see her, which was exciting.

“Tomorrow night, 11:00?”

“I'll be there.”

Annabelle bit her lower lip in anticipation and gasped when Jasper texted her again with an additional message.

“I've had some more ideas,” he said.

“What ideas?” she replied quickly, holding her metaphorical breath.

“We'll talk about it tomorrow night.”

“UGH!” She groaned out loud as her thumbs moved on the screen. “Fine.” She huffed a sigh, but she was excited. The last time Jasper had ideas, things had ended very well for them both. Annabelle smiled.

* * *

The next night soon came and with it, Elle departed and Jasper arrived. Annabelle gave him a critical once-over after greeting him, trying to figure out what he might have been planning for this evening.

“What's that look for?” he asked, giving her a critical look of his own.

“I'm trying to work out what you're planning.”

He grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “You'll find out. You're looking a lot better.”

“I feel better.”

“No more bullet holes?”

Annabelle shook her head. “Nope! Thank God... those were the worst.”

Jasper made a doubtful face. “Not in my experience.”

Annabelle was almost afraid to ask. “Why... what's the worst in your experience?”

“Fire. Sunlight too, though I've thankfully not been burned by that.”

“Have you been burned by fire though?”

He nodded with a grim smile. “Yeah. A long time ago. It  _ sucked _ .”

Annabelle nodded slowly. “Noted. Um... let's get comfortable. Are you... hungry?”

The look Jasper gave her made her shiver both in arousal and mild terror. “Yes,” he growled. He cleared his throat and forced his voice to soften. “But, as always... you're in control of what we do, if we do anything.”

Annabelle's mouth was suddenly dry. She licked her lips. “Well... I don't mind you taking over sometimes.”

“With the safe words.”

“With the safe words,” she acknowledged. Annabelle swallowed. She suddenly felt like she couldn't wait. She needed him. “So... should we just cut right to the bedroom, then? I'm  _ dying _ to know what you have planned.”

He gestured down the hall with his long arm and hand. “After you.”

* * *

Annabelle perched herself on the bed as Jasper closed the bedroom door behind him. “Let's set up those fake candles,” he suggested. Annabelle eagerly hopped up to do so, with Jasper's help. There were a lot more surfaces than just the floor to put them on in Annabelle's room. Little white candles went on her desk, her bedside table and around the bed. When Jasper turned off the overhead light, the room had a warm, dim glow.

“Good,” Jasper said, running his tongue over his fangs. “Now -”

“What are you planning?” Annabelle interrupted.

Jasper held up a long, pale finger, asking her to wait. “I was thinking... if you were interested... in me biting your femoral artery or vein.”

“Where's that?”

“It's in your inner thigh.”

Annabelle's eyebrows shot up as she felt a massive rush of excitement. This was a very bold move indeed. “Have you ever bitten anyone there before?” She asked. There was more than a little nervousness in her voice, but she was trying not to let it show.

“No. Well...” Jasper considered, casing his memory very far back. He smiled a little evilly. “... not since I became Kindred.”

Annabelle didn't have Blush of Life on yet, but would have turned pink if she did. “Oh. Um...”

“Have you?” Jasper asked, amused.

“Not since I became Kindred,” Annabelle mumbled. She smiled at him and he grinned back at her with a degree of pride. “I've seen it done in some vampire shows and I’ve read about it, but...”

Jasper knew where she was going with this. He was tempted to let her sweat it out. “But...?” he prompted.

“Well... I've never tried it,” she concluded.

There was a pregnant pause.

“Did you want to?” Jasper asked.

Annabelle fidgeted. “Maybe? Do you _ really _ want to?”

He closed his eyes briefly as he smiled and licked his fangs, as if he could picture it, taste it already. “I do, but only if you do,” he told her.

She bit her lower lip. He knew now the things to say or do to get her hot under the collar. She sighed, still indecisive.

“Tell you what...” Jasper leaned forwards a little towards her. “We can try it, and if you don't like it... just say 'yellow' or 'red' and I'll stop. I think you're going to like it though.”

Annabelle considered this and nodded, feeling brave. “Okay.”

“Are you sure?”

She thought again for a few seconds, then took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I'm sure.”

“Okay, but.... you're going to have to take off your pants.” His smile had a lot of fang in it.

“Yeah.” Annabelle undid her jeans and pulled them down. She liked to think she was keeping her cool despite getting excited. They were about to cross into new, far more intimate territory and though she was willing, she wasn't sure she was one hundred percent ready. She trusted Jasper with her life though. He hadn’t steered her wrong yet in this relationship. Jasper watched her as she tugged the jeans off her legs and lay them on a corner of the bed, within relatively easy reach. Her underwear was plain, solid black cotton. Practical and feminine, but nothing fancy.

“Lay back. Get comfortable,” Jasper instructed gently. He was watching her with great interest, seemingly very calm on the outside.

Annabelle shifted back onto the bed and propped herself comfortably with pillows. She kept her black tank top on. She was reminded a little of how she felt knocking on Jasper's front door the night of the big storm, like she couldn’t believe she was about to do  _ this _ with  _ him _ . Something inside her wanted to though. She was starting to crave his bite, and that feeling was getting increasingly difficult to deny.

“You can use Blush of Life if you want to, or not. I'll leave that up to you,” Jasper said in the gentle tone he only tended to use around her in these private situations.

“I think I will,” she said. The sensations the bite brought always felt stronger when she had Blush of Life on.

Jasper nodded.

The Blush was imminently obvious. Annabelle was breathing hard already as her body worked though her nerves and anticipation. Jasper got onto the bed and shifted himself down on his stomach towards her legs. He seemed to be taking his time, perhaps to build her anticipation further, or maybe to give her time to back out if she wanted to. As nervous as she was, Annabelle promised herself that she was going to try very hard not to back out of this.

Jasper lay an ice cold hand on Annabelle's bare leg, just above the knee. She flinched and goosebumps sprang up on her exposed skin.

“Sorry,” Jasper said, trying not to sound too amused. “Cold hands. You're nice and warm though.”

“It's okay,” Annabelle chuckled. She covered her face in her hands, getting flustered.

Jasper stroked her thigh gently but firmly up and down from knee to hip. He didn't go anywhere near the sensitive area in the middle, not yet. He wanted to get her used to his touch first. “Relax,” he said.

Annabelle nodded and pulled her hands away from her face. She licked her lips and closed her eyes. She focused on his touch, and took another deep breath in and out. His skin was cold and dead, but he was being very soothing and gentle. She barely noticed when he began to nudge her legs a little further apart.

Jasper shifted again, moving a little closer and down. He lifted her leg gradually and slipped under it, so her leg rested on his back. This placed him very close to her other thigh, right where he wanted to be. He stroked her very, very warm, smooth skin there and Annabelle flinched again at his deathly cold hands. Her pulse was strong here, and her growing arousal made it stronger. Annabelle could feel her body reacting to it.

Jasper lay his other arm across her stomach. He was anticipating her flinching and moving quite a lot more in the next few moments, and wanted to try to keep her still. Annabelle recognised the move. Both Mark and Elleanore had their own versions of it, and so did she when she was with them. Her hands reached down to his arm and clung to him. She could feel his strong, lean muscle under the fabric of his hoodie. She still had her eyes closed.

“I won't do anything until you say 'green,'” he said reassuringly, still stroking her inner thigh with his other hand, right where he intended to bite.

Annabelle took another few deep breaths and gave his arm a little squeeze. “Okay,” she said at last. “Green.”

Jasper couldn’t help but snarl softly as he opened his mouth. With one hand on her leg to steady her and his other still pressed over her torso, he bit deeply into the soft, warm flesh of Annabelle's thigh.

Instantly, Annabelle gasped and hissed as the sharp pain hit her. This was a deeper, worse pain than the neck bites she had previously experienced. She did flinch, but Jasper's hands kept her still. Her grip on Jasper's arm tightened. Warm femoral Vitae filled his mouth and he forced himself to take it slow. Seconds later, Annabelle's hiss of pain dissolved into a sigh, which itself turned into a soft moan. Her toes curled as the usual waves of pleasure began, but this time they did not have far to go at all before reaching her most sensitive zone. Her other leg, resting on Jasper's back, tightened against her will, curling against him and trapping him there. She could feel his tongue, his swallowing, and her grip on him tightened further as her arousal climbed. She bit her lip, but could not entirely suppress her moans.

Annabelle's Beast struggled and clawed in her chest as her heart hammered against her ribs. She heard and felt Jasper growl. He was very clearly enjoying this. The taste of her Vitae and the scent of her arousal was intoxicating. Her grip on him encouraged him to continue, as did her moans and whimpers, which were getting increasingly urgent. She started to shake, her hips twitching. His grip on her tightened a little.

Annabelle tensed, quivering, suddenly on the edge. It hasn't taken her long to get there this time. It was all too much. A moment later, her body bucked in climax. Jasper flexed his arm over her torso to keep her as still as he could, so that blood wouldn’t get everywhere. He forced himself to let go of his bite on her thigh as Annabelle screamed. She was trembling under his hands as he licked blood off her thigh and closed the wound.

“Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God...” Annabelle moaned over and over again.

“That good huh?”

“Mm... guh...” Annabelle couldn’t respond properly yet.

Jasper let her go and wriggled out from under her leg. Annabelle curled in on herself a little, her hands drifting down between her legs. Her skin was very flushed in the afterglow. She bit her lip as she touched herself, seemingly unaware that Jasper was still there, watching her. Her fingers brought her to another miniature climax. She shuddered silently on the bed.

After another minute or two, Annabelle seemed to remember herself and forced herself to stretch out. Jasper's weight on the bed reminded her he was there and she opened her eyes to look at him. She blushed again, deeper, partly in embarrassment, mostly left over from her fading arousal. “You are amazing,” she said softly. “I'm so we- uh... you... I can't even...”

He smirked. “You don't have to say it. I know.” He relaxed down on the bed next to her, and she curled in to snuggle against his body. Her heart was still hammering in her chest.

“You were right... I did like that,” Annabelle admitted.

She felt Jasper's chest rise and fall once, deliberately, in a content sigh. “That's good.”

Annabelle stretched again, rubbing her body against his a little. “I think I needed that,” she said with a little chuckle.

Jasper chuckled as well. “Surely you weren't  _ that _ pent up.”

“Well... no,” Annabelle admitted, “but... well... it's different with you. The biting... maybe it's just a vampire thing.”

“Hmm.”

“How was it for you?” Annabelle asked, with a little teasing tone.

Jasper's growl was almost more of a purr. “I... there are no words... for how  _ good _ you tasted just then.”

Annabelle felt herself flush again. They hugged each other a little tighter. “Thank you?” she said shyly.

Jasper smirked.

Annabelle nuzzled his chest. “I can't believe how far we've come from you just... biting my wrist.” She started to play a little with a zipper on his hoodie. He didn't stop her.

“That feels like a long time ago, and yet... not,” he said.

“It was last year,” Annabelle reflected.

“Yeah,” Jasper agreed.

Annabelle sighed again, in the last dregs of afterglow. She watched the dim flickering light from the artificial candles.

“I've been having nightmares,” she said softly, “about the attack in the alley.”

Jasper stroked her arm with his thumb. “What kind of nightmares?”

“It's like I'm reliving it, but you're not there to stop me.”

“I'm here now,” he said softly.

“Will you know if I'm having a bad dream?”

“I might. And I'll be here when you wake up tomorrow night.”

Annabelle nodded and sniffed. “That helps. This isn't anything I can tell Mark or Elle. I'm worried I might... do something to them. I'm scared.”

Jasper's jaw tightened. He could feel her sadness and fear, their Bond being fresh as it was. It wasn't dissimilar to emotions he had gone through, back when he was still considering if he even had a chance to reconnect with his old life before the harsh reality of his situation killed all hope of that.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Annabelle stopped him.

“And I know... I  _ know _ that I should keep them away, but… well, you know how  _ hard _ that is.” Annabelle was starting to cry, just a little. She felt vulnerable.

Jasper shifted and stroked her back, trying to soothe her. He was quiet, and Annabelle didn't know if it was because he didn't know what to say, or just didn't want to say something to make her feel worse.

“It is hard,” he said softly, at last. “I can't tell you that it's not. It may be the hardest thing you'll ever do as a vampire. As much as I don't like how much they know and how much time you spend with them... I envy you,” Jasper admitted.

“I know,” Annabelle said, miserable.

“I see my... I see the person I used to have in my life sometimes. I miss her.” He swallowed. She knew this was painful for him to talk about. He almost never mentioned her. “So... enjoy the time you do have with your people, as much as you have to keep away to keep them safe.”

Annabelle nodded. She pulled away to wipe her eyes with a tissue and soon went back to clinging to him. They pressed their foreheads together tenderly and just held each other for a moment. She felt a little better for having shared her feelings with him.

“I don't think you'll hurt them,” Jasper told her. “I think you'd rather die.”

Annabelle nodded. “But... I'm worried about another Frenzy.”

“Right. Well... you're already pretty good at keeping yourself under control. Feeding often will help with that. The Beast is happier when it's well-fed. Speaking of which... did you want to go and feed tonight?”

“Well... I probably should.” Annabelle rolled over to check the time. The night was still relativity young. “Yeah... we have lots of time. Do you want to go to that vampire bar?”

Jasper smiled. “Sure, but you should put pants on first.”

Annabelle smiled. “I don't know... I think they might prefer if I didn't.”

He snickered and agreed. “Probably.”

Annabelle got off the bed and got herself dressed for a night out. Jasper stayed close by her side for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, it sure would have been nice to have had more Jasper lore to tell her, but I had to settle for the only thing we did know at the time, which was his surname. Also, the thigh bite was a difficult scene for me to write and I giggled though it with L's help. M suggested I turn the thigh bite into something... MORE, so the next time he feeds from her there, there's going to be extra fun to be had. ;)


End file.
